Belt-buckle.



L. SANDERS.

BELT BUCKLE.

APPLIOATION 21mm SEPT. 20 1911.

1,035,643, v Patented Aug. 13,1912.

man/ms WITNE88E8 justed to the wearer by varying its UNITED STA'IEES PAIENT OFFICE.

LOUIS SANDERS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BELT-BUCKLE.

To' all whom it may concern Be it known that 1', LOUIS Suzanne, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Belt-Buckle, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

The invention has reference more particularly to mens belts and buckles.

A highly important result obtained by the present construction is the rigidity between all the parts of the base of the buckle, the arrangement being such that a rigid relation is maintained between the means for fastening the buckle to the belt and the means for adjustably making connection be tween the free end of the belt and the front end of the buckle. By my improved construction also, the belt may be readily adlength in one of two ways: An approximate adjustment to the wearer may be secured by detaching the belt from the-point where the buckle is fastened to it at the rear end of the buckle, a piece of the belt cut oil', and the end again caused to be gripped by the buckle fastening device. For exact adjust ment to the wearer, the free end of the belt,

may, as in other buckles, be adjustably secured to the front end of the buckle.

The construction of the buckle and the mode of securing the belt very materially economizes in the amount of material required for the buckle, and also saves 'T'belt material by avoiding the necessity fol any return fold in Fastening the strap to the buckle.

Other advantages and distinctive features will appear from the specific description hereinafter to be given.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view 01' my in proved buckle applied. to a belt; Fig. 2 is a front view of the buckle, showing a portion of the belt; Fig. 3 is a rear view; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on the line 4l of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the cover part of the housing forming the buckle proper.

In constructing a buckle in a -dance with my invention, a base plate lb *1 pro- Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

' Application filed September 29, 1911. Serial No. 651,935.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

vided, over the major portion of which a 1 cover 11 is secured constituting a housing with slotted sides as at 12 near the front end. A clutch roller 13has movement'in the housing on the base plate 10, the roller extending laterally through the openings 12, and being provided exteriorly with headed ends 14. The clutch roller thus arranged at the front of the buckle serves to adjustably clutch the free end portion 15 of the belt. To the opposite end 16 of the belt the buckle is secured by means of the grip lever 17, which is fulcrumed in side ears 18 that are integral with the adjacent end 19 of the base plate 10, said end 19 being ofi'set rearwardly from the plane of the major portion of the base plate, the said base plate and its end 19 being rigid. The grip lever 17 from its fulcrum iii the cars 18 to its free end 90, inclines forwardly toward the buckle proper, as at. 21, and w en in the closed position of the said grip lever, the teeth 22 thereof at the gripping end hold the end 16 of the belt tightly against the extension 19 of the base plate.

It is important in a buckle of this character that the total width be reduced as far as possible and that there be no projecting members, and to this end the cover 11 constituting a housing, is provided on the lower edges of its sides with elongated clenches 23, which are received in notches or recesses 24 in the sides of the base plate 10, of the buckle proper, said clenches being turned over on the underside of the said base plate, as clearly shown. It will be observed that the members 23 do not appear from the front of the buckle and form no projections, the only projecting members being the heads of the clutch roller '13, and these are rounded, as shown.

By forming the base plate and buckle proper in the manner shown, a buckle having a very desirable appearance results, and economy is greatly promoted in the material and in the operations necessary in the forming and assembling of the parts. The forming of the base plate common to both the grip lever 17 and the buckle proper, further contributes to the economy of material and labor, and results in a rigid relation between the means for fastening the buckle to the belt, and for adjustably securing the free end of the belt. \Vhen the free end of the belt is passed rearwardly from the front end of the buckle proper over the roller 13, it will be guided by the inclined arm'21 of the grip lever and deflected outward sufiiciently to be taken hold of by the wearer in adjusting the buckle to the desired degree.

The gripping form of the fastener for the end 16 of the belt is highly desirable be cause it avoids the necessity of the turning back of the belt on itself, or stitching, and thus lessens the amount 'of leather required, in addition to its convenience as a cast-ofi' When it is desired to cut off a piece of the belt, and I thus obtain the advantages of the grip lever, While at the same time support-- ing it on members rigid With the buckle proper, and I utilize the inclined arm of the buckle in'the manner explained in the adjustment of the belt.

Having thus described claim as new and desire to Patent,-

A belt fastener, comprising a front plate forming a housing for one end of the belt, means for holding said end of the belt in my invention, I secure by Letters adjusted position, a base plate at the back of the said front plate and extending beyond the rear end of said front plate, the base] plate being offset rearwardly at a point real ears, and a gripping lever fulcruined in said ears, the said lever having a gripping edge at one side of the fulcrum Ward the adjacent surface of the base plate to co-act therewith in gripping the opposite end of the belt, the said lever at the opposite side of the fulcrum being in the form of a handle extendin toward the front end of the base plate and having a bend near its free end ,vvhich is movable when the lever is in the gripping position to lie adjacent to the rearward bend of the base plate, said lever being movable on its fulcrum in an are and pro ecting toand in the rear of the front plate of the fastener.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS SANDERS.

Witnesses:

J. L. MOAULI-FFE, PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS. 

